Presidential poll: Why we lost South-West to PDP

Presidential poll: Why we lost South-West to PDP - ACN

Details: Category: April 2011 Polls; Published on Tuesday, 19 April 2011 07:43; Written by Admin; Hits: 2416

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) on Monday debunked speculations that it sold out to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Saturday’s Presidential election, a reason President Goodluck Jonathan won a resounding victory in Lagos and other South-West states during the election.

ACN

The party said it lost to President Jonathan in the last presidential poll because of a dummy sold by the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) to the Nigerian electorate that the ACN presidential candidate, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, had stepped down for General Muhammadu Buhari, a development it said made many voters to believe that ACN was no longer in the presidential race.

ACN said the CPC capitalised on the inclination towards an alliance by the two parties to sell the dummy, alleging that it was when the alliance talks were going on that the CPC rushed to the press to announce that Mallam Ribadu had stepped down for General Buhari, just to create an impression that the presidential battle had been limited to only Jonathan and Buhari.

The ACN was firmly in control of the South-West with the outcome of the National Assembly poll which was held penultimate Saturday, but the story changed dramatically last Saturday as the PDP won overwhelmingly, thus fuelling speculation that PDP’s victory was a play out of a pact between it and the ACN. In a statement issued by ACN’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said it was absurd to link it with any pact with PDP, stressing, “it is simply unimaginable and highly incongruous that a progressive party like the ACN will work for the victory of the PDP, which has put Nigeria in reverse gear in the past 12 years.” (Tribune)